Vicars' Close

A row of identical 14th-century terraced houses squeezed between Wells Cathedral and the Bishop's Palace - that's Vicars' Close, and it's one of those places that stops you dead when you round the corner. The houses are impossibly narrow, impossibly old, and still lived in. This is actual, functioning medieval housing stock that hasn't been knocked down, rebuilt, or turned into a gift shop. Walk down the lane and you're genuinely walking through 700 years of continuous habitation.

The terrace was built around 1348 to house the cathedral's vicars, and the layout remains unchanged - tiny doorways, thick stone walls, original staircases tucked into corners. You can't go inside most of them, but the exterior tells you everything. It's the sort of place that appeals to architecture types and anyone who likes their history tangible rather than curated. Children tend to find it either brilliant or boring depending on whether they're interested in "how people actually lived" or whether they need something more obviously entertaining.

It's free to wander, takes twenty minutes tops to look properly. Wells itself is walkable enough - the Cathedral dominates, and there's a decent high street with cafes. If you're basing yourself at Cathedral View Glamping or Wells Touring Park, you're minutes away. Cheddar Camping is a bit further but puts you between the Gorge and the town, which is a solid location. Visit midweek if you can - weekends bring coach tours to Wells, and Vicars' Close gets crowded for somewhere so small.